About García V el de Nájera, rey de Navarra

García Sánchez III of Navarre From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia García Sánchez III, sometimes García III, IV, V, or VI (also García of Nájera, from Spanish: García el de Nájera), was king of Navarre from 1035 to 1054. He was the eldest legitimate son and heir of Sancho the Great, thus he succeeded in his father's inheritance of Navarre. He not only received the patrimony of his family, he was given a seniority amongst his brothers, a sort of "High Kingship". However, his father divided his many conquests among García's brothers: Ramiro, the eldest but illegitimate son, received the petty kingdom of Aragón; Ferdinand, the second eldest legitimate son, received Castile (which his father received through marriage to his mother); and his youngest surviving son (legitimate), Gonzalo, received the kingdoms of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. In 1037, Ferdinand requested García's aid against his brother-in-law, Bermudo III of León, in battle near Pisuerga. The two brothers defeated Bermudo, who died in battle, the final descendant of Pedro de Cantabria, and Ferdinand succeeded in León. By aiding Ferdinand, García received his brother's favour and, in a repartition of Castile, he expanded Navarre to the bay of Santander and incorporating the entire Basque Country. Soon he was confronted by his brother Ramiro at Tafalla (1043) and defeated him. He was one of the Christian kings to profit greatly from the weakened taifa kingdoms inhabiting the "vacuum" that was the Caliphate of Córdoba. In 1045, he conquered Calahorra. Relations eventually soured with Ferdinand and war broke out between the fraternal kingdoms, García dying in the Battle of Atapuerca, 15 September, 1054. His nickname comes from his foundation of the monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera. [edit]Family

He was married, in 1038, to Estefanía, daughter of Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona, an hereditary count of Barcelona (her dowry was the Cameros), and they produced nine children (four sons, five daughters): Sancho "El de Peñalén", king of Navarre, married Placencia Ramiro (d.1083), lord of Calahorra, married Teresa Ferdinand, lord of Bucesta, married Nuña de Vizcaya Raymond the Fraticide (Ramón el Fratricida), lord of Murillo and Cameros Ermesinda, married Fortún Sánchez de Yarnoz Mayor, married Guy II of Masón. Urraca (d.1108), married García Ordóñez Jimena Mencia (d.1106), married Lope de Nájera He also had illegitimate sons: Sancho, lord of Uncastillo and Sangüesa, married Constanza, grandfather of García Ramírez, king of Navarre Ramiro After García's death, Estefanía is said to have remarried to Roger de Tosny, a Norman adventurer. Estefanía may have been a widow at the time of her marriage to García. A traditional poem tells of the marriage of an illegitimate son of García (presumed to be Sancho) to his step-sister, a daughter of Estefanía by a former husband.

-------------------- García Sánchez III, sometimes García III, IV, V, or VI (also García of Nájera, from Spanish: García el de Nájera, 1016-1054), was king of Navarre from 1035 to 1054. He was the eldest legitimate son and heir of Sancho the Great, born November 1016, and he succeeded his father to the crown of Navarre. He not only received the patrimony of his family, he was given a seniority amongst his brothers, a sort of "High Kingship". However, his father divided his many conquests among García's brothers: Ramiro, the eldest but illegitimate son, received the petty kingdom of Aragón; Ferdinand, the second eldest legitimate son, received Castile (which his father received through marriage to his mother); and his youngest surviving son (legitimate), Gonzalo, received the kingdoms of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza.

In 1037, Ferdinand requested García's aid against his brother-in-law, Bermudo III of León, in battle near Pisuerga. The two brothers defeated Bermudo, who died in battle, the final descendant of Pedro de Cantabria, and Ferdinand succeeded in León.

By aiding Ferdinand, García received his brother's favour and, in a repartition of Castile, he expanded Navarre to the bay of Santander and incorporating the entire Basque Country.

Soon he was confronted by his brother Ramiro at Tafalla (1043) and defeated him.

He was one of the Christian kings to profit greatly from the weakened taifa kingdoms inhabiting the "vacuum" that was the Caliphate of Córdoba. In 1045, he conquered Calahorra.

Relations eventually soured with Ferdinand and war broke out between the fraternal kingdoms, García dying in the Battle of Atapuerca, 15 September, 1054. His nickname comes from his foundation of the monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera. He was married, in 1038, to Estefanía, daughter of Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona, an hereditary count of Barcelona (her dowry was the Cameros), and they produced nine children (four sons, five daughters):

Sancho "El de Peñalén", king of Navarre, married Placencia Ramiro (d.1083), lord of Calahorra, married Teresa Ferdinand, lord of Bucesta, married Nuña de Vizcaya Raymond the Fraticide (Ramón el Fratricida), lord of Murillo and Cameros Ermesinda, married Fortún Sánchez de Yarnoz Mayor, married Guy II of Masón. Urraca (d.1108), married García Ordóñez Jimena Mencia (d.1106), married Lope de Nájera He also had illegitimate sons:

Sancho, lord of Uncastillo and Sangüesa, married Constanza, grandfather of García Ramírez, king of Navarre Ramiro After García's death, Estefanía is said to have remarried to Roger de Tosny, a Norman adventurer. Estefanía may have been a widow at the time of her marriage to García. A traditional poem tells of the marriage of an illegitimate son of García (presumed to be Sancho) to his step-sister, a daughter of Estefanía by a former husband. -------------------- García Sánchez III, sometimes García III, IV, V, or VI (also García of Nájera, from Spanish: García el de Nájera, 1016-1054), was king of Navarre from 1035 to 1054. He was the eldest legitimate son and heir of Sancho the Great, born November 1016, and he succeeded his father to the crown of Navarre, becoming feudal overlord over two of his brothers: Ramiro, who was given lands that would serve as the basis for the kingdom of Aragón; and Gonzalo, who received the counties of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. Likewise, he had some claim to suzerainty over brother Ferdinand, who under their father had served as Count of Castile, nominally subject to the Kingdom of León but brought under the personal control of Sancho III.

In 1037, Ferdinand requested García's aid against his brother-in-law, Bermudo III of León, at the Battle of Tamarón near Pisuerga. The two brothers defeated Bermudo, who died in battle, the final king of the male line of Pedro de Cantabria, and Ferdinand succeeded in León.

By aiding Ferdinand, García received his brother's favour and, in a repartition of Castile, he expanded Navarre to the bay of Santander, incorporating the entire Basque Country.

Soon he was confronted by his brother Ramiro at Tafalla (1043) and defeated him, but this victory resulted in the effective independence of Ramiro.

García was one of the Christian kings to profit greatly from the weakened taifa kingdoms that arose through the disintegration of central control by the Caliphate of Córdoba. In 1045, he conquered Calahorra.

Relations eventually soured with Ferdinand and war broke out between the fraternal kingdoms, García dying in the Battle of Atapuerca, 15 September, 1054.

His nickname comes from his foundation of the monastery of Santa María la Real of Najera.

[edit] Family He was married, in 1038, to Estefanía, possibly daughter of Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona (her dowry was the Cameros), and they produced nine children (four sons, five daughters):

Sancho "El de Peñalén", king of Navarre, married Placencia Ramiro (d.1083), lord of Calahorra, married Teresa, daughter of count Gonzalo Salvadórez de Lara[citation needed] Ferdinand, lord of Bucesta, married Nuña de Vizcaya Raymond the Fraticide (Ramón el Fratricida), lord of Murillo and Cameros Ermesinda, married Fortún Sánchez de Yarnoz Mayor, married Guy II of Masón. Urraca (d.1108), married Castilian count García Ordóñez Jimena Mencia (d.1106), married Lope de Nájera He also had illegitimate sons:

Sancho, lord of Uncastillo and Sangüesa, jure uxoris-by right of his wife, Constanza. He was grandfather of García Ramírez, king of Navarre Ramiro After García's death, Estefanía is said to have remarried to Roger de Tosny, a Norman adventurer. Estefanía may have been a widow at the time of her marriage to García. A traditional poem tells of the marriage of an illegitimate son of García (presumed to be Sancho) to his stepsister, a daughter of Estefanía by a former husband.

-------------------- García Sánchez III, sometimes García III, IV, V, or VI (also García of Nájera, from Spanish: García el de Nájera, 1016-1054), was king of Navarre from 1035 to 1054. He was the eldest legitimate son and heir of Sancho the Great, born November 1016, and he succeeded his father to the crown of Navarre. He not only received the patrimony of his family, he was given a seniority amongst his brothers, a sort of "High Kingship". However, his father divided his many conquests among García's brothers: Ramiro, the eldest but illegitimate son, received the petty kingdom of Aragón; Ferdinand, the second eldest legitimate son, received Castile (which his father received through marriage to his mother); and his youngest surviving son (legitimate), Gonzalo, received the kingdoms of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza.

In 1037, Ferdinand requested García's aid against his brother-in-law, Bermudo III of León, in battle near Pisuerga. The two brothers defeated Bermudo, who died in battle, the final descendant of Pedro de Cantabria, and Ferdinand succeeded in León.

By aiding Ferdinand, García received his brother's favour and, in a repartition of Castile, he expanded Navarre to the bay of Santander and incorporating the entire Basque Country.

Soon he was confronted by his brother Ramiro at Tafalla (1043) and defeated him.

He was one of the Christian kings to profit greatly from the weakened taifa kingdoms inhabiting the "vacuum" that was the Caliphate of Córdoba. In 1045, he conquered Calahorra.

Relations eventually soured with Ferdinand and war broke out between the fraternal kingdoms, García dying in the Battle of Atapuerca, 15 September, 1054. His nickname comes from his foundation of the monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera.

He was married, in 1038, to Estefanía, daughter of Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona, an hereditary count of Barcelona (her dowry was the Cameros), and they produced nine children (four sons, five daughters):

Sancho, lord of Uncastillo and Sangüesa, married Constanza, grandfather of García Ramírez, king of Navarre

Ramiro

After García's death, Estefanía is said to have remarried to Roger de Tosny, a Norman adventurer. Estefanía may have been a widow at the time of her marriage to García. A traditional poem tells of the marriage of an illegitimate son of García (presumed to be Sancho) to his step-sister, a daughter of Estefanía by a former husband.

The Battle of Atapuerca was fought in 1 September 1054 at the site of Piedrahita ("standing stone") in the valley of Atapuerca between brothers King García Sánchez III, El de Nájera, of Navarre and King Ferdinand I, the Great, of Castile and León.
The Castilians won and King García was killed in battle. Ferdinand reannexed Navarrese territory he conceded to García 17 years early after his brother's assistance at Pisuerga.

Precedents

After the death of Sancho III of Navarre, his empire was divided with Ferdinand receiving the then County of Castile and García, the Kingdom of Navarre.
In 1037, Vermudo III of Leon died without descendants in the battle of Tamarón against his brother-in-law Ferdinand of Castile. Ferdinand inherited the title of king of Leon, entering the city of León on 1038. He rewarded the help of his brother García with Castilian territories from Oca to the gates of Burgos, from Briviesca to the valley of Urbel, from Castrobarto to Bricia and from the Nervión river to Santander.
[edit]Versions

[edit]Chronicon Silense
The monk of Silos wrote several decades later that an envious García attacked Ferdinand who was visiting him at Nájera during his illness. Recovered, García visited back Ferdinand to make peace. Ferdinand set him in chains and locked him in a tower in Cea. The Navarrese escaped and declared war, rejecting the Castilian embassies.
García was buried in the nearby village of Agés and his tomb was recently discovered in the church there.
The hosts of Castile and Leon were in Atapuerca, three leagues eastwards from Burgos, already in Navarre.
García had with him Moorish auxiliary troops and maybe his brother king Ramiro I of Aragon.
[edit]Annals of Compostela
The annals attribute the death of García to one knight of his, Sancho Fortún, "whom he [the king], had offended with his wife". Several in the Navarrese retinue preferred death in combat, and also the murderer, lord of Funes, Navarre, died in battle.
[edit]Crónica Najerense
The Najerense mentions relatives of Vermudo, who furiously engaged García, disobeying Ferdinand's instructions to take him alive.
The Navarrese kept however their places until night and took the corpse to bury him in Nájera. The proclaimed on the spot the new king, an adolescent Sancho de Peñalén.
[edit]Other version
Ferdinand is in this version the reckless brother and covets the "Asturias of Santander", Old Castile, Briviesca and Rioja. Ferdinand visited his ill brother, but suspecting him fled. García visited an ill Ferdinand then, wishing to dispel his suspicions, but was locked in Cea. Upon escaping, he took his troops and some Moors into Castile. In Atapuerca the peace talks failed. Two traitor soldiers (one of them, Sancho Fortún), wounded him lethally. Ferdinand conceded the transport of the corpse to Nájera, took Briviesca, Montes de Oca and part of Rioja. The border of Navarre was set by the Ebro, and the new king Sancho IV of Navarre became Ferdinand's vassail.
[edit]El Cid?
Some sources mention El Cid as one of the battlers, but being born on 1043 or 1048 he would be too young. His father Diego Laínez probable was present though.
[edit]Later history

In 1940 a commemorative inscription was carved on a 6,000-year-old menhir at the site.
Since 1996, the people of Atapuerca and neighbour towns reenact the battle on the last or previous Sunday of August.
[edit]References

Año de 1054. Batalla de Atapuerca, leaflet by the Asociación Amigos de Atapuerca [1]